The end of an era…

I know this won’t come as a surprise to many of you: I have closed Yoga Bodega.

When I graduated from Dominican last spring with my teaching credential in biology and general science, I didn’t know where, or when, I would find a teaching job. I thought I might end up substitute teaching and teaching yoga in the evenings. It’s a hard time to look for teaching jobs and because of budget concerns, many teachers are hired close to (or even after) the beginning of the school year.

As it happens, I was hired by a school in Alameda, two weeks before I needed to report to work.

I found an apartment; we packed and left. Trent and I are now residents of Oakland, which we are absolutely loving. We’re close to Lake Merritt and I’m only 10 minutes from work. Trent has learned to ride BART. He is such a big guy, I had underestimated how exciting it would be for him to ride a train!

The hardest thing was packing up the yoga studio. I spent so much time there over the last 10 years and have so many good memories. The empty studio absolutely resounds with all the positive energy that has flowed through the place.

Yoga Bodega wasn’t just a room, however. The most important part was the people.

Some of you have been my students for nearly 11 years, and it’s hard to say good-bye to this part of my life. There isn’t one single person to whom I’ve taught yoga, or massaged, that hasn’t taught me something in exchange. I thank each and every one of you for that gift.

During the last decade, I’ve been through all sorts of changes and I’ve watched you change, too. I’ve seen you grow as individuals. Some of you made friends with your bodies, others found a place to still their busy minds. Marriages happened and babies were been born. There were sad times, too, and an extended community to embrace all of it. Any teacher – any person – couldn’t have asked for more. In the words of Mary Oliver,

So every day

So every day

I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth

of the ideas of God,

one of which was you.

I have let two other yoga teachers in the area know about the empty space.

However, I heartily recommend Clare Venet, an Iyengar teacher, in west Santa Rosa. She teaches at the Solstice Dance and Yoga Studio. Clare has been a very popular teacher for many years. She is great with older students and people recovering from injuries, surgery, etc. You’ll find her schedule online at http://www.srsolsticestudio.com.